1. Field
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a heat pump, and more particularly, to a heat pump in which a plurality of indoor units are installed at a single outdoor unit so that an air-conditioning operation and a heating operation can be performed.
2. Description of the Related Art
The market for a heat pump that performs air-conditioning and heating by binding a plurality of indoor units and a plurality of outdoor units (or a single outdoor unit) as a single piping system is gradually increasing owing to comparatively simple installation and a low price. However, the heat pump has disadvantages that cannot simultaneously meet users' various air-conditioning and heating operation needs. This is because there is a limitation that, when an indoor heat exchanger operates in an air-conditioning operation mode, i.e., when the indoor heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, an outdoor heat exchanger is used as a condenser. Accordingly, due to a seasonal factor, such as the change of seasons, in which an individual user's operation need for each of the plurality of indoor units may be diverse, or due to an environmental factor, such as a room of a hotel in which users have various tastes, the heat pump having one outdoor unit cannot satisfy the air-conditioning/heating needs of all users.